Soup for One

April 30, 2012
"Tee hee hee! Some soup for me!" cries a delighted insect as he flies through an open window into a bowl of soup on a kitchen table. Not prepared to share, the fly becomes increasingly vexed as one bug after another joins him ("No more! No more!/ It won't hold four!"), until the count reaches double digits: "Not again! Now there are 10!" Long's (Chamelia) singsong couplets with their counting-themed rhymes invite chiming in as the insect tally climbs. The mixed-media illustrations incorporate photographic elements (namely the bowl, a spoon, and some soup crackers), lending a three-dimensional quality to the swimming poolâlike soup bowl. The cartoony bug characters add an abundance of visual humor: all but the first, cranky interloper are having a dandy time in the soupâdiving below the surface, resting on a cracker, and drinking from a strawâand a spider is seen loitering in the background. The soup's rightful (and hungry) owner spoils the fun, but leaves a soupçon for the spider. Straightforward but entertaining fare. Ages 3â6.

August 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-This counting book begins with a single fly in some soup. He is joined by a second one and a third until the bowl is brimming with 10 flies. Suddenly the chef, a large lizard, arrives and eats up most of the soup. The bugs flee, but the chef chases them, hoping to have them for dessert. As soon as they leave, a sneaky spider emerges and enjoys "soup for one." The humorous text is brief, with only one rhyming couplet per page. Each verse ends with a number, so the rhymes are fairly predictable, like, "Oh, good heavens!/Not soup for seven!" The vocabulary is simple enough for beginning readers, and the novel premise and charming illustrations will keep youngsters engaged. The large text is printed on full-color illustrations. Long's bugs are drawn with simple lines, big round eyes, and lots of personality. The artist uses a clever combination of photo images and digital drawings to create the backgrounds, so the soup spoon and saltine cracker look realistic, while the flies look like cartoons, heightening the humor by the contrast. The simple rhymes and engaging illustrations make this a good pick for those looking for a fresh concept book.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.